Volkswagen Plug-In Test Fleet to Hit California

On Friday last week, Volkswagen officially marked the start of its U.S. electric car test program by shipping an all-electric Golf to its Electronic Research Laboratory in Belmont, California.

Called the eGolf in the U.S. the all-electric hatchback is essentially the same as the Volkswagen Golf blue-e-motion prototype we drove back in July last year.

Despite Volkswagen’s extensive electric car test programs spanning the past few decades, only 500 eGolfs will be produced at the current time, with just 20 cars being sent to the U.S. for testing.

Based on the current Golf VI, the eGolf’s 26.5 kilowatt-hour battery pack is split into several sections, allowing it to be placed throughout the car for ideal weight distribution and handling. It also ensures that the eGolf retains its five seats, and hatchback load area.

2014 Volkswagen Golf blue-e-motion prototype

Under the hood, an 85 kilowatt motor drives the front wheels, producing 200 pound-feet of torque and accelerating the car from 0-62 mph in 11.8 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 87 mph.

While the eGolf is fairly conventional by electric car standards, it does feature an advanced regenerative braking system that allows the driver to choose how much regenerative braking is applied when they lift their foot off the accelerator.

This makes it possible to employ hypermiling techniques like coasting to reach a claimed range of 90 miles on a single charge.

Volkswagen has no plans to bring this particular generation Golf to market as an electric car, but hasn’t ruled out the possibility of making an all-electric Golf in the future.

Source: Green Car Reports

Volkswagen rolling out test fleet of 80 Golf Blue-e-motions

2014 Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion – Click above for high-res image gallery

Volkswagen has begun to deliver its second batch of Golf Blue-e-motion test vehicles to customers in Germany. Of the 80 plug-in Golfs hitting the streets, 53 will be handed over to individuals and businesses in Berlin with the rest headed for Hannover and Wolfsburg.

The electric Golfs will be distributed to businesses, public institutions, private motorists and corporations. Companies participating in the Blue-e-motion field tests include Coca-Cola, Continental, Deutsche Bahn AG and Deutsche Telekom AG.

Rudolf Krebs, VW's chief officer for electric traction, released this statement:

The Golf blue-e-motion fleet ... is an important milestone within our development plans for electric mobility. It allows us at this stage to secure all aspects regarding technical detail, everyday drive-ability and user requirements ahead of series production.

Speaking of series production, VW says that the Golf Blue-e-motion will hit U.S. turf as a lease-only vehicle in 2014.



Source: Autoblog Green

More Details Emerge From VW Regarding the Golf Blue E-motion Electric Vehicle - Now Scheduled For 2014

VW Golf Blue-E-motion

Volkswagen has provided an update on its Golf blue-e-motion electric vehicle, now scheduled to arrive on the market in 2014. At the presentation of the concept in Germany earlier this year, VW had said the EV would launch on the market in 2013.

The EV is driven by an electric motor integrated in the front engine compartment with a maximum power output of 85 kW (115 PS, 112 hp) and a continuous power output of 50 kW (69 PS, 67 hp), with 270 N·m (199 lb-ft) torque, powered by a 26.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Top speed is now 135 km/h (84 mpg), versus 140 km/h (87 mph) announced earlier this year. The projected driving range of 150 km (93 miles) remains the same as earlier announced. Power output and top speed are dependent upon the selection of driving profile (below). Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is 11.8 seconds.

At the car’s production launch, Volkswagen will announce final driving range data of the production version, which it expects to be “significantly improved” with the battery technology to be used in the future. In many locales, VW points out, the needs of commuters are already met by the 150 km range. In Germany, for example, according to the German Federal Statistical Office, 6 of every 10 people in the workforce commute by car. On average, 45.8% drive less than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) (one-way commute), another 28.1% between 10 and 25 kilometers (6.2 to 15.5 miles) and 16.2% more than 25 kilometers.

The concept car’s 30 battery modules—comprising 180 lithium-ion cells—were installed in spaces adapted to the vehicle architecture: in the floor of the trunk (fully usable cargo capacity: 275 liters, 9.7 ft³), under the rear bench seat and in the center tunnel of the underbody (between the front seats). A separate air cooling system ensures a constant thermal environment in the battery compartment.

The driver can see how much energy is being demanded at any given moment on the kW gauge (replaces the classic tachometer); drivers strive to keep the kW reading as low as possible practically intuitively. A range indicator is also integrated in this round instrument. The speedometer, located on the right side as usual, integrates another small gauge that provides information on the battery charge state.

A new feature is the display of regeneration intensity in the multifunction display between the kW instrument and the speedometer. In battery regeneration, the driver has the option of pre-setting the braking energy recovery strategy over four stages (D to D3) via the automatic gearshift lever or gearshift paddles on the steering wheel.

In the lowest stage (D), the car sails as soon as the driver’s foot leaves the electric pedal—now the Golf blue-e-motion moves with very low drag. The motor is controlled to the zero-torque curve so that the car can coast with the least possible drag; it is only slowed by the rolling resistance of the tires and air resistance. In the D3 stage, or B for braking, on the other hand, the maximum amount of kinetic energy is recovered and fed to the battery. In addition, the electrical energy consumption of the automatic climate control unit and its blower can be called up in the multifunction display.

Profiles. The driver select priorities in advance with drive profiles: between maximum range, maximum comfort and maximum dynamics. The selected profile then pre-configures the power of the electric motor, air conditioning control, maximum speed and battery regeneration strategy.

The Golf blue-e-motion offers the three profiles “Normal,” “Comfort+” and “Range+”. In the Comfort+ profile, the full 85 kW of power is available; in this mode the Golf blue-e-motion can attain the specified top speed of 135 km/h. When the driver activates the Normal mode, power is reduced to 65 kW and top speed is lowered to 115 km/h (71 mph). In the Range+ mode the engine controller limits power to 50 kW; in this case, the car can reach a maximum speed of 105 km/h (65 mph). At the same time, the air conditioning system is completely deactivated. The selected profile is shown in the multifunction display.

Packaging. All key primary and secondary drive components were integrated in the front engine compartment. In arriving at this design, developers applied experience they had gained in numerous design studies. As in the Up! blue-e-motion concept car, for example, an integral form of electric drive is used in the Golf blue-e-motion. Core components of the integral drive are the lightweight 80 kg electric motor together with a transmission and differential.

Energy management is handled by a high-voltage pulse-controlled inverter that is integrated in the compact integral drive along with the 12 Volt electrical system’s DC/DC converter and charging module. The entire unit is relatively light and compact; the five-door and five-seat Golf blue-e-motion weighs just 205 kg more than a comparable Golf BlueMotion TDI with DSG.